Smart speakerphone emergency monitoring

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatus for smart speakerphone emergency monitoring are disclosed. A method includes detecting a sound at one or more of multiple locations of a property; determining that the sound indicates an emergency at the property; sending, to a monitoring station, an indication of the emergency; receiving, from the monitoring station, a two-way voice call; and broadcasting the two-way voice call to the multiple locations of the property. Detecting the sound at one or more of multiple locations of a property includes receiving audio data generated by one or more of a plurality of speakerphones, each speakerphone being located at one of the multiple locations of the property. Each speakerphone includes an audio microphone and an audio speaker, the speakerphone being configured to communicate with a speakerphone hub device using digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) signals.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/940,284 filed Nov. 26, 2019, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure application relates generally to property monitoringsystems with smart speakerphones.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure application relates generally to property monitoringsystems with smart speakerphones. Many properties are equipped withmonitoring systems that include sensors and connected system components.Some monitoring systems include smart speakerphones that may detectsounds from areas around a property.

SUMMARY

Techniques are described for smart speakerphone emergency monitoring.Smart speakerphones can initiate and facilitate voice communication witha remote monitoring station in response to a detected emergency atproperty. For example, a user can say the word “help” near any smartspeakerphone at the property, and an operator at the monitoring stationcan promptly respond through the smart speakerphone via a two-way voicecall.

Smart speakerphones can be distributed throughout a property and candetect sounds from various areas of the property. The smartspeakerphones can analyze the sounds to determine if the sounds meetcriteria for key sounds that may indicate a possible emergency at theproperty. The smart speakerphones can analyze the sounds, for example,by performing speech recognition, voice recognition, volume measurement,and/or sound matching. The smart speakerphones can identify key soundsthat match pre-programmed words or phrases, or that match pre-programmednon-word sounds. The smart speakerphone can also identify key soundsthat are above a preset volume level.

The smart speakerphones can include batteries that enable operationwithout an external source of power. The smart speakerphones can includetransmitters and receivers for high quality low power signals, e.g.,digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) signals. The DECTtransmitters and receivers can enable the smart speakerphones to operatewithout an internet connection. Upon identifying a key sound, the smartspeakerphones can send the key sound to a speakerphone hub device viaDECT transmission.

The hub can receive key sounds from each of the smart speakerphones atthe property. The hub can analyze the key sounds and additional datafrom the smart speakerphones to determine that there is a possibleemergency at the property. Based on determining that there is a possibleemergency at the property, the hub can send an alert to a monitoringstation, e.g., through a cellular network. The monitoring station caninclude operators that can view information related to the alert on adisplay of an electronic device.

The monitoring station can initiate a two-way call between the operatorat the monitoring station and the hub. The hub can broadcast the two-waycall to the smart speakerphones distributed throughout the property.Residents of the property can communicate with the operator by speakingnear any of the smart speakerphones. Through the two-way call, theoperator can gather information from the resident, can advise theresident of actions to take in response to the emergency, and can notifythe resident when emergency responders are dispatched.

In some examples, the smart speakerphones and the hub can operate as astand-alone system. For example, the property might not include anyother sensors and might not include a monitoring system control unit.The smart speakerphone emergency monitoring system can therefore operateindependently and can communicate directly with the monitoring station.

In some examples, the smart speakerphone and the hub can be integratedinto a larger monitoring system. For example, the property may includeadditional sensors and a control unit. In these examples, the smartspeakerphones may communicate with the hub, the control unit, or both.The hub may communicate directly with the monitoring station, or maycommunicate with the monitoring station through the control unit. Thecontrol unit can collect and analyze sounds from the smartspeakerphones, as well as sensor data from other sensors, to determineconditions at the property. For example, the control unit may correlatekey sounds detected by the smart speakerphones with camera data andmotion sensor data in order to determine if there is a likely emergencyat the property.

In some examples, a user can use the smart speakerphones to initiatevoice calls. For example, a user can speak the words “call mom” near anysmart speakerphone. The smart speakerphone can send the request “callmom” to the hub. The hub can initiate a cellular call to a saved contact“mom.” The hub can then broadcast the cellular call over one or more ofthe smart speakerphones of the property.

In some examples, a user can use the smart speakerphones to receivevoice calls in any area of the property. For example, an outside contactcan place a cellular call to a phone number associated with the hub. Thehub can broadcast a notification sound to any or all of the smartspeakerphones at the property. The user can receive the call, forexample, by speaking the word “answer” near any of the smartspeakerphones. The hub can then broadcast the call to any or all of thesmart speakerphones of the property.

In some examples, the smart speakerphones can connect to an internetnetwork. A user can use the smart speakerphones to place orders andrequests over the internet. For example, a user can speak the words“request ride sharing service” near a smart speakerphone. The smartspeakerphone can send the request to an internet website, initiating aride sharing service pickup at the property. The user can provideadditional instructions and can receive updates on the request throughany or all of the smart speakerphones of the property.

Smart speakerphone emergency monitoring can provide the followingadvantages. In some examples, smart speakerphone emergency monitoringcan reduce false alarms that may be caused by monitoring systems.Connecting an operator with a user via a two-way voice call enables theoperator to confirm there is an emergency before dispatching emergencyresponders. Broadcasting the two-way call to all of the smartspeakerphones at the property enables the operator to speak to the userin any area of the property.

Personal emergency response systems (PERS) systems often require a userto wear or carry a PERS device, such as a pendant or wristband. When theuser requires assistance, the user presses a transmitter button on thedevice in order to contact a monitoring station. In some cases, the usermay not want to wear the device, or may forget to wear the device. Insome cases, the user may not be able to press the transmitter buttonwhen the user requires assistance. Positioning smart speakerphonesthroughout a property can enable the user to contact the monitoringstation without needing to carry or wear a PERS device, and withoutneeding to press a transmitter button to request assistance.

The smart speakerphones and the hub each include batteries that enableoperation without external power sources. Additionally, the smartspeakerphones can communicate with the hub via DECT. DECT transmissionuses low power and does not require an internet connection. The hub cancommunicate with the monitoring station via a cellular network, alsowithout requiring an internet connection. Therefore, a smartspeakerphone emergency monitoring system can perform normal operationsduring a power outage, an internet outage, or both.

The details of one or more implementations of the subject matterdescribed in this specification are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, andadvantages of the subject matter will become apparent from thedescription, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example smart speakerphone emergency monitoringsystem.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example monitoring system including smartspeakerphone emergency monitoring and additional sensor data.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing components of an example smartspeakerphone.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example process for smart speakerphoneemergency monitoring.

FIG. 5 shows a diagram illustrating an example monitoring system.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an example smart speakerphone emergency monitoringsystem 100.

The property 102 may be a home, another residence, a place of business,a public space, or another facility. The property 102 includes abathroom 112, a kitchen 114, and a living room 106.

The system 100 includes smart speakerphones 110 a to 110 c, collectivelyreferred to as smart speakerphones 110. Smart speakerphone 110 a islocated in the living room 106, smart speakerphone 110 b is located inthe bathroom 112, and smart speakerphone 110 c is located in the kitchen114.

A smart speakerphone 110 can include one or more microphones and one ormore speakers. The smart speakerphone 110 can detect sounds from theproperty 102. The one or more microphones of the smart speakerphone 110may be arranged in an array. The microphone array can enable the smartspeakerphone 110 to determine directionality of sounds. The smartspeakerphone 110 can analyze the sounds, e.g., by performing speechrecognition, measuring sound volume, and/or determining directionality.The smart speakerphone 110 can determine if a detected sound is a keysound 122.

A key sound 122 can be a sound that meets preset criteria. The criteriacan be based on identifying sounds that indicate a likely emergency.Example criteria for a key sound 122 can include that the sound volumeis above a preset volume, e.g., 80 or 90 decibels. In some examples,criteria for a key sound 122 can include that the sound matches one ormore of a pre-programmed set of words or phrases. Pre-programmed wordsand phrases can include, for example, “help,” “fire” “call anambulance,” “hospital,” “I need a doctor,” or “call the police.” In someexamples, criteria for a key sound 122 can include that the soundmatches one or more of a pre-programmed set of non-word sounds.Pre-programmed non-word sounds can include, for example glass breaking,gunshots, human screams, and smoke alarms.

In some examples, criteria for a key sound 122 can include that thesound both matches one or more of a pre-programmed set of words orphrases, and is above a preset volume. For example, the word “fire”spoken within a normal speaking decibel range of 50 to 60 decibels maynot meet criteria for a key sound 122. However, the word “fire” shoutedat a decibel level of 80 decibels may meet criteria for a key sound 122.

When the smart speakerphone 110 detects a key sound 122, the key sound122 can trigger the smart speakerphone 110 to perform an action. Exampleactions can include “waking” the smart speakerphone. When the smartspeakerphone 110 wakes, the smart speakerphone 110 may begin recordingreal-time audio and/or sending audio data to a speakerphone hub device,e.g., hub 115.

The smart speakerphone 110 can include a battery that enables the smartspeakerphone 110 to operate without an external power source. The smartspeakerphone 110 can include a digital enhanced cordlesstelecommunications (DECT) transmitter and a DECT receiver forcommunicating with components of the system 100 such as the hub 115. TheDECT transmitter and DECT receiver can enable the smart speakerphone 110to communicate with the hub 115 without a network connection, such as aWi-Fi connection. Components and operations of the smart speakerphone110 are described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 3.

Smart speakerphones 110 can be placed in various locations at aproperty. For example, a user such as a resident 104 or installer mayinstall one smart speakerphone 110 on each level of a property or onesmart speakerphone 110 in each room of a property. The smartspeakerphones 110 can be distributed so that most or all areas of theproperty 102 are within hearing range of at least one smart speakerphone110.

In some implementations, the system 100 may undergo a calibration phaseupon installation at the property 102. The calibration phase may includeinstalling the smart speakerphones 110 throughout the property 102 andmonitoring sounds over a period of time. The calibration phase can beused to establish baseline sound levels for routine occurrences at theproperty 102. Sounds detected by the smart speakerphones 110 can then becompared to the baseline sound levels to determine when anomalous soundsoccur.

The calibration phase can also include programming the smartspeakerphones 110 to recognize and identify voices of individual usersof the smart speakerphones 110. For example, the property 102 may havetwo residents. The calibration phase can include programming the smartspeakerphones 110 to differentiate a first resident's voice from asecond resident's voice.

The hub 115 may be a computer system or other electronic deviceconfigured to communicate with the smart speakerphones 110 and amonitoring station 120. The hub 115 may include a processor, a chipset,a memory system, or other computing hardware. In some cases, the hub 115may include application-specific hardware, such as a field-programmablegate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), orother embedded or dedicated hardware. The hub 115 may include software,which configures the unit to perform the functions described in thisdisclosure. The hub 115 can be, for example, the control unit 510 ofFIG. 5.

In some implementations, a resident 104 of the property 102, or anotheruser, communicates with the hub 115 through a physical connection (e.g.,touch screen, keypad, etc.) and/or network connection. In someimplementations, the resident 104 or other user communicates with thehub 115 through a software (“smart home”) application installed on amobile device or through the smart speakerphones 110. The hub 115 caninclude a DECT transmitter and DECT receiver for communicating with thesmart speakerphones 110. The hub 115 can also include a cellular modemand/or SIM card for communicating with the monitoring station 120. Thehub 115 can include a battery to enable operation without an externalpower source.

The hub 115 can receive key sounds 122 from the smart speakerphones 110through a DECT transmission signal. In some examples, the hub 115 cananalyze the key sounds 122 to determine if there is a likely emergencyat the property 102.

The hub 115 communicates with the monitoring station 120 via along-range data link. The long-range data link can include anycombination of wired and wireless data networks. For example, the hub115 may exchange information with the monitoring station 120 through awide-area-network (WAN), a cellular telephony network, a cableconnection, a digital subscriber line (DSL), a satellite connection, orother electronic means for data transmission. The hub 115 and themonitoring station 120 may exchange information using any one or more ofvarious communication synchronous or asynchronous protocols, includingthe 802.11 family of protocols, GSM, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, CDMA-based dataexchange or other techniques.

The monitoring station 120 can be a remote facility that monitorsstatuses of multiple properties, including the property 102. In someexamples, the monitoring station 120 can be a central station monitoredby a provider of the monitoring system 100. In some examples, themonitoring station 120 can be a central station monitored by a thirdparty organization. The monitoring station 120 can include monitoringservers that can collect and analyze data from hubs of properties. Themonitoring servers can be, e.g., the monitoring server 560 or thecentral alarm station server 570 of FIG. 5.

The monitoring station 120 can also include human operators 116. Theoperators 116 can receive indications of events at the properties fromthe monitoring servers. The operators 116 can view indications of eventsat the properties on a display of an electronic device, e.g., a tabletcomputer 118. The operators 116 may be able to view, for example,information including the address of a property, the number of residentsof the property, and the names of residents. The operators 116 may alsobe able to view indications of alerts from the properties, and detailsabout the cause of the alerts. For example, for an alert generated by asmart speakerphone 110, the operator 116 may be able to view informationabout the location of the smart speakerphone 110 that triggered thealert and the nature of the key sound 122 detected. If the alert wasgenerated by a resident's voice, the operator 116 may be able to viewthe identity of the resident, based on voice recognition.

FIG. 1 includes stages (A) through (E), which represent a flow of data.In stage (A) of FIG. 1, the smart speakerphone 110 a detects key sounds122. The key sounds 122 include a sound indicative of falling, e.g., a“thud” sound. The key sounds 122 also include a sound of the resident104 speaking the word “help.”

One or more microphones of the smart speakerphone 110 a detects the“thud” sound and the word “help.” The smart speakerphone 110 a cananalyze the “thud” sound and the word “help,” e.g., by performing speechrecognition, by performing voice recognition, by measuring sound volume,and/or by determining the directionality of the sounds. For example,using voice recognition and speech recognition, the smart speakerphone110 a can identify that the word “help” was spoken by the resident 104at a volume of 70 decibels.

The smart speakerphone 110 a determines that the “thud” sound and theword “help” both meet the criteria for key sounds 122. For example, the“thud” sound may meet the criteria for key sounds 122 based on matchinga pre-programmed sound. The word “help” may meet the criteria for keysounds 122 based on matching a pre-programmed word. The “thud” sound,the word “help,” or both, may meet the criteria for key sounds 122 basedon the volume being above a preset decibel level.

Upon identifying the key sounds 122, the smart speakerphone 110 a wakes.The smart speakerphone 110 a can begin recording sounds from the livingroom 106 and may begin sending data to the hub 115, e.g., via DECTtransmission.

In stage (B) of FIG. 1, the hub 115 analyzes the key sounds 122. The hub115 can receive the key sounds 122 from the smart speakerphone 110 a viaDECT transmission. The hub 115 may also receive key sounds 122 from thesmart speakerphones 110 b, 110 c, e.g., if the key sounds 122 weredetected by more than one smart speakerphone 110. For example, an eventmay occur in the living room 106 that produces a sound loud enough to bedetected by both the smart speakerphones 110 a and 110 b. In anotherexample, an event may occur between the living room 106 and the bathroom112, such that the produced sound is detected by both the smartspeakerphones 110 a and 110 b. The hub 115 can analyze the key sounds122 from the smart speakerphones 110 a and 110 b. Based on the soundvolume and/or directionality, the hub 115 may be able to determine ifthe event occurred in the living room 106, the bathroom 112, orsomewhere in between the living room 106 and the bathroom 112.

The hub 115 may also receive real-time sounds from the smartspeakerphones 110. For example, once the smart speakerphone 110 a wakes,the smart speakerphone 110 a can record real-time sounds and transmitthe real-time sounds to the hub 115. In some examples, the smartspeakerphone 110 a may record real-time sounds for a designated periodof time following detection of a key sound 122.

In stage (C) of FIG. 1, the hub 115 sends an alert 124 to the monitoringstation 120. The hub 115 may send the alert 124 to the monitoringstation 120 directly over the long-range data link, or may communicatewith the monitoring station 120 through one or more intermediateservers. For example, the hub 115 can send the alert 124 to a server,e.g., a cloud server, of the monitoring system provider. The cloudserver can relay the alert 124 to the monitoring station 120, which maybe monitored by the monitoring system provider or by a third partyorganization.

The alert 124 can be, for example, a personal emergency response signal(PERS) that generally indicates a possible emergency at the property102. In some examples, the alert 124 can include additional informationrelated to the emergency. For example, the alert 124 can include thatthe emergency occurred in the living room 106. The alert 124 can alsoinclude that the smart speakerphone 110 a detected the voice of theresident 104 speaking the word “help” at a volume of 70 decibels and/orthat the smart speakerphone 110 a detected a falling “thud” sound.

In stage (D) of FIG. 1, the monitoring station 120 initiates a two-waycall 126 to the hub 115. In some examples, a monitoring server of themonitoring station 120 can automatically initiate the two-way call 126to the hub 115 in response to receiving the alert 124. In some examples,the operator 116 can initiate the two-way call 126 to the hub 115, e.g.,by selecting an option on the tablet computer 118. The monitoringstation 120 initiates the two-way call 126 with the hub 115, e.g., bycalling the cellular modem or SIM card of the hub 115. The hub 115receives the two-way call 126.

In stage (E) of FIG. 1, the smart speakerphones 110 broadcast thetwo-way call 126 throughout the property 102. The hub 115 receives thetwo-way call 126 and sends the digital audio data of the two-way call126 to the smart speakerphones 110 via DECT transmission. Thebroadcasted audio can include a voice of the operator 116. The operatorcan notify the resident 104 that an emergency alert was received. Theoperator 116 can request if the resident 104 needs assistance.

The resident 104 may be able to hear the voice of the operator 116through the smart speakerphone 110 a. The resident 104 can confirm thatemergency help is needed by speaking to the smart speakerphone 110 a.The voice of the resident 104 can be conveyed from the smartspeakerphone 110 a to the hub 115 via DECT, and to the monitoringstation 120 via a cellular data link. In some examples, the operator 116can request information from the resident 104 and can receive a responsefrom the resident 104 through the two-way call 126. In some examples,the operator 116 can advise the resident 104 of recommended actions. Ifthe resident 104 confirms that emergency help is needed, or if theresident 104 does not respond to the two-way call 126, the operator canrequest emergency response and can notify the resident 104 whenemergency responders are dispatched. If the resident 104 informs theoperator 116 that emergency help is not needed, the operator can cancelthe alert 124. An audio recording of the two-way call 126 can be savedat the monitoring station 120.

In some examples, the monitoring station 120 may initiate a two-way callwithout first receiving an alert. For example, based on settings andpreferences of the resident 104, the monitoring station 120 may initiatea two-way call to the hub 115 on a regular basis, e.g., once per day oronce per week. The smart speakerphones 110 can broadcast the two-waycall throughout the property 102, and the operator 116 can check on theresident 104, e.g., by asking how the resident 104 is doing. Theresident 104 can respond to the two-way call from any location at theproperty 102 that is near a smart speakerphone 110. In the absence of aresponse from the resident 104, the operator 116 may contact a caretakerand/or emergency responders. Additionally, if the resident 104 respondsthat he or she needs help, the operator 116 may contact a caretakerand/or emergency responders.

Though described above as being performed by a particular component ofsystem 100 (e.g., the hub 115 or the monitoring station 120), any of thevarious control, processing, and analysis operations can be performed byeither the hub 115, the monitoring station 120, or another computersystem of the monitoring system 100. For example, the hub 115, themonitoring station 120, or another computer system can analyze the datafrom the sensors to determine system actions. Similarly, the hub 115,the monitoring station 120, or another computer system can control thevarious sensors, and/or property automation controls to collect data orcontrol device operation.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example monitoring system 200 including smartspeakerphone emergency monitoring and additional sensor data. Theproperty 102 can be the same property as shown in FIG. 1. In addition tothe smart speakerphones 110, the system 200 may include additionalsensors, such as video cameras, motion sensors, microphones, andtemperature sensors, distributed about the property 102 to monitorconditions at the property 102. For example, sensors can be located inthe bathroom 112, the kitchen 114, the living room 106, and a yard 216of the property 102.

The system 200 includes smart speakerphones 110 a to 110 c, collectivelyreferred to as smart speakerphones 110. Smart speakerphone 110 a islocated in the living room 106, smart speakerphone 110 b is located inthe bathroom 112, and smart speakerphone 110 c is located in the kitchen114.

The smart speakerphones 110 can send key sounds 222 to the hub 115, tothe control unit 215, or both. The smart speakerphones 110 can send thekey sounds 222 to the hub 115 and/or the control unit 215 through DECTtransmission or through a network. In some examples, the smartspeakerphones 110 send key sounds to the hub 115, and the hub 115 sendsthe key sounds to the control unit 215.

The monitoring system 200 includes motion sensors 206 a and 206 b,referred to as motion sensors 206. Motion sensor 206 a is located in theyard 216 and motion sensor 206 b is located in the bathroom 112. Themotion sensors 206 can be, for example, passive infrared (PIR) sensors.PIR sensors can detect moving heat signatures, e.g., from people movingat the property 102.

The monitoring system 200 includes camera 210. The camera 210 ispositioned to capture images from the yard 216. In some examples, thecamera 210 can analyze images of the yard 216, e.g., through videoanalysis, to detect and identify people in the yard 216.

The motion sensors 206 can send motion sensor data to the control unit215. The camera 210 can send camera data to the control unit 215. Thecontrol unit 215 can determine an occupancy of various areas of theproperty 102 based on the motion sensor data and the camera data. Theoccupancy can include a determination of whether or not people arepresent in individual rooms of the property 102, or the property 102 asa whole. For example, based on motion sensor data that indicates nomovement in the bathroom 112, the control unit 215 may determine that nopeople are present in the bathroom 112. Similarly, based on motionsensor data that indicates movement in the yard 216, and camera dataincluding images of a person in the yard 216, the control unit 215 maydetermine that a person is present in the yard 216.

The control unit 215 may receive sensor data through a network. Thenetwork may be any communication infrastructure that supports theelectronic exchange of data between the hub 115 and the smartspeakerphones 110. The network may include a local area network (LAN), awide area network (WAN), the Internet, or other network topology. Thenetwork may be any one or combination of wireless or wired networks andmay include any one or more of Ethernet, cellular telephony, Bluetooth,Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth LE technologies. In someimplementations, the network may include optical data links. To supportcommunications through the network, one or more devices of themonitoring system may include communications modules, such as a modem,transceiver, modulator, or other hardware or software configured toenable the device to communicate electronic data through the network.

FIG. 2 includes stages (A) through (F), which represent a flow of data.In stage (A) of FIG. 2, the smart speakerphone 110 a detects key sounds.The key sounds 222 include a sound of glass breaking.

A microphone of the smart speakerphone 110 a detects the glass breakingsound. The smart speakerphone 110 a can analyze the glass breakingsound, e.g., by performing sound recognition, by measuring sound volume,and/or by determining the directionality of the sounds.

The smart speakerphone 110 a determines that the glass breaking soundmeets the criteria for key sounds 122. For example, the glass breakingsound may meet the criteria for key sounds 122 based on matching apre-programmed sound. The glass breaking sound may also meet thecriteria for key sounds 122 based on the volume being above a presetdecibel level.

Upon determining that key sounds 122 have been detected, the smartspeakerphone 110 a wakes. The smart speakerphone 110 a can beginrecording sounds from the living room 106 and may begin sending audiodata to the hub 115 via DECT transmission.

The hub 115 can receive the key sounds 122 from the smart speakerphone110 a via DECT transmission. The hub 115 may also receive key sounds 122from the smart speakerphones 110 b, 110 c. The hub 115 may also receivereal-time sounds from the smart speakerphones 110 a, 110 b, 110 c. Forexample, once the smart speakerphone 110 a wakes, the smart speakerphone110 a can record real-time sounds and transmit the real-time sounds tothe hub 115. In some examples, the smart speakerphone 110 a may recordreal-time sounds for a designated period of time following detection ofa key sound 122.

In stage (B) of FIG. 2, the control unit 215 collects sensor data 224from the sensors. For example, control unit 215 collects camera datafrom the camera 210, and motion sensor data from the motion sensors 206a, 206 b.

The camera data includes images of a person 212 in the yard 216. In someexamples, the camera 210 can analyze the images to determine that theperson 212 is in the yard 216. In some examples, the camera can send thecamera data to the control unit 215 and the control unit 215 can analyzethe images to determine that the person 212 is in the yard 216.

In stage (C) of FIG. 2, the control unit 215 and the hub 115 analyze thekey sounds 222 and the sensor data 224. In some examples, the hub 115analyzes the key sounds 222, and the control unit 215 analyzes thesensor data. In some examples, the hub 115 sends the key sounds 222 tothe control unit 215, and the control unit 215 analyzes the key sounds222 and the sensor data 224.

The control unit 215 can analyze the sensor data 224 to determineoccupancy of the property 102. The control unit 215 can analyze thecamera data from the camera 210 and the motion sensor data from themotion sensor 206 a to determine that there is a person 212 in the yard216. The control unit 215 can analyze the motion sensor data from themotion sensor 206 b to determine that there is a person in the bathroom112. The control unit 215 can analyze the key sounds 222 to determinethat glass has broken in the living room 106.

Based on analyzing the sensor data 224 and the key sounds 222, thecontrol unit 215 may determine that there is likely an emergency at theproperty 102. Specifically, based on determining that glass has brokenin the living room 106, and that a person 212 is in the yard 216, thecontrol unit 215 can determine that there is likely a burglary inprogress at the property 102. Based on determining that there is aperson in the bathroom 112, the control unit 215 can determine that theresident 104 may be in danger.

In some examples, the control unit 215 may determine that the key sounds222 likely do not indicate an emergency. For example, a resident 104 maybe in the living room 106 watching television. The smart speakerphone110 a may detect the sound of a gunshot. The smart speakerphone 110 amay determine that the gunshot meets the criteria for a key sound 222,e.g., based on the volume being above a preset volume and/or based onmatching a pre-programmed sound. The smart speakerphone 110 a can thenwake, begin recording sound from the living room 106, and send audiodata to the hub 115. The hub 115 can then send the audio data to thecontrol unit 215.

The control unit 215 can analyze the audio data from the hub 115 andsensor data from the living room 106. Motion sensor data, microphonedata, and/or camera data from the living room 106 may indicate theresident 104 watching television in the living room 106. The soundsrecorded by the smart speakerphone 110 a after the key sound 222 mayindicate no unusual or distressing sounds. The sounds recorded by thesmart speakerphone 110 a may remain within a consistent decibel range,indicating that the sounds likely are produced by the television. Thus,the control unit 215 may determine that the key sound 222 of the gunshotlikely does not indicate an emergency at the property 102.

In stage (D) of FIG. 2, the hub 115 and the control unit 215 send sensordata and an alert 226 to the monitoring station 120.

The alert can be, for example, a personal emergency response signal(PERS) that generally indicates a possible emergency at the property102. In some examples, the alert can include additional informationrelated to the emergency. For example, the alert can include that theemergency occurred in the living room 106. The alert can also includethat the smart speakerphone 110 a detected a key sound 222 of glassbreaking.

The sensor data can include the camera data, the motion sensor data,and/or a determination of occupancy of the property 102. The sensor datacan include a monitoring system status. For example, the monitoringsystem status may be “unarmed, stay” or “armed, away.” The monitoringsystem status can provide an additional indication of whether theresident 104 is at the property 102.

In stage (E) of FIG. 2, the monitoring station 120 initiates a two-waycall 228 to the hub 115. In some examples, a monitoring server of themonitoring station 120 can automatically initiate the two-way call 126to the hub 115 in response to receiving the alert 124. In some examples,the operator 116 can initiate the two-way call 126 to the hub 115, e.g.,by selecting an option on the tablet computer 118. The monitoringstation 120 initiates the two-way call 126 with the hub 115, e.g., bycalling the cellular modem or SIM card of the hub 115. The hub 115receives the two-way call 126. In some examples, the monitoring station120 can initiate the two-way call 228 to the control unit 215 insteadof, or in addition to, the hub 115.

In stage (F) of FIG. 2, the smart speakerphones 110 broadcast thetwo-way call throughout the property 102. The hub 115 receives thetwo-way call 126 and sends the audio of the two-way call 126 to thesmart speakerphones 110 via DECT transmission. The audio can include avoice of the operator 116. The operator can notify the resident 104 thatan emergency alert was received. The operator 116 can request if theresident 104 needs assistance.

The resident 104 may be able to hear the voice of the operator 116through the smart speakerphone 110 b. The resident 104 can confirm thatemergency help is needed by speaking to the smart speakerphone 110 b.The voice of the resident 104 can be conveyed from the smartspeakerphone 110 b to the hub 115 via DECT, and to the monitoringstation 120 via a cellular data link. In some examples, the operator 116can request information from the resident 104 and can receive a responsefrom the resident 104 through the two-way call 126. In some examples,the operator 116 can advise the resident 104 of recommended actions. Ifthe resident 104 confirms that emergency help is needed, or if theresident 104 does not respond to the two-way call 126, the operator canrequest emergency response and can notify the resident when emergencyresponders are dispatched.

In some examples, the smart speakerphones 110 can broadcast alertsthroughout the property 102. The monitoring system 200 may generatealerts when sensors at the property 102 detect events such as a break-inor fire. Typically in response to detecting events, the monitoringsystem 200 may sound an audible alarm such as a siren from the controlunit 215. The smart speakerphones 110 can receive the alert from thecontrol unit 215 over the network, and can also broadcast the alarm. Inthis way, residents who are at the property 102 but who are not near thecontrol unit 215 can hear the alarm.

In some examples, in response to a detected event, the smartspeakerphones 110 may broadcast a different audible sound than thecontrol unit 215. For example, the control unit 215 may produce a sirensound in response to detecting a break-in in the living room 106. Thesmart speakerphones 110 may receive the break-in alert from the controlunit 215 through the network, and may produce a different audible sound,such as the spoken words “break-in detected in the living room.”

In some examples, the smart speakerphones 110 can broadcast alertsthroughout the property 102 that are received from a source outside theproperty 102. For example, government authorities may generate andbroadcast wireless messages related to emergencies such as severeweather and national emergencies. The control unit 215, the hub 115, orboth, can receive a wireless emergency message from a governmentauthority through a cellular connection. The control unit 215 and/or thehub 115 can broadcast the emergency message over the smart speakerphones110 throughout the property 102. The control unit 215 and/or the hub 115may include text-to-speech translation capability to convert theemergency message to speech for broadcasting at the property 102.

Though described above as being performed by a particular component ofsystem 200 (e.g., the control unit 215 or the monitoring station 120),any of the various control, processing, and analysis operations can beperformed by either the control unit 215, the monitoring station 120, oranother computer system of the monitoring system 200. For example, thecontrol unit 215, the monitoring station 120, or another computer systemcan analyze the data from the sensors to determine system actions.Similarly, the control unit 215, the monitoring station 120, or anothercomputer system can control the various sensors, and/or propertyautomation controls to collect data or control device operation.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing components of an example smartspeakerphone 110. To receive and process audio input, the smartspeakerphone 110 includes one or more microphones 304, ananalog-to-digital converter (ADC) 306, an audio processor 308, and a keysound engine 310. To communicate with a hub, the smart speakerphone 110includes a DECT transmitter 314 and a DECT receiver 316. In someimplementations, the smart speakerphone 110 can include a DECTtransceiver instead of the DECT transmitter 314 and the DECT receiver316. To produce audio output, the smart speakerphone 110 includes adigital-to-analog converter (DAC) 318 and one or more speakers 320. Topower the smart speakerphone 110, the smart speakerphone 110 includes abattery 324. The smart speakerphone 110 can optionally include anexternal power source 326. The smart speakerphone 110 includes acontroller 312 to control and coordinate operations of the variouscomponents of the smart speakerphone 110.

In operation, the smart speakerphone 110 detects sounds 302 with the oneor more microphones 304. The microphones 304 can be far fieldmicrophones that are capable of detecting sounds from across a room,through a wall, and/or down a hallway of a property. The microphones 304can be arranged in an array that can enable the smart speakerphone 110to determine directionality of detected sounds 302.

The ADC 306 converts the analog audio to digital audio data. The audioprocessor 308 processes the digital audio data. For example, the audioprocessor 308 can measure sound volume and directionality of thedetected sound 302. The audio processor 308 can also perform speechrecognition and voice recognition on the detected sound 302.

The key sound engine 310 determines whether the detected sound 302 meetscriteria for a key sound. For example, the key sound engine 310 cancompare the detected sound 302 to pre-programmed non-word sounds, e.g.,breaking glass and human screams. The key sound engine 310 can alsocompare the detected sound 302 to pre-programmed words or phrases, e.g.,“help,” and “I need an ambulance.” The key sound engine 310 can alsocompare the volume of the detected sound 302 to a preset volume level.Based on determining that the detected sound 302 matches pre-programmedwords, phrases, or non-word sounds, and/or is above a preset volumelevel, the key sound engine 310 can determine that the detected sound302 meets criteria for a key sound.

In response to the key sound engine 310 identifying a key sound, thecontroller 312 can cause the smart speakerphone 110 to wake. When thesmart speakerphone wakes, the smart speakerphone 110 may collect andrecord real-time sounds with the microphone 304. The smart speakerphone110 may also transmit signals to the hub through the DECT transmitter314. For example, the DECT transmitter 314 can transmit the key soundsand real-time sounds to the hub.

As described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the hub may send an alertto a monitoring station. In response to receiving the alert, themonitoring station may initiate a two-way call to the hub. The hub canthen send digital audio data of the two-way call to the DECT receiver316. The DECT transmitter 314 and DECT receiver 316 require low amountsof energy compared to other types of transmitters and receivers. Thus,the DECT transmitter 314 and DECT receiver 316 can operate for longperiods of time, sending and receiving high quality, lower powersignals. The DECT transmitter 314 and DECT receiver 316 can each have arange of hundreds of feet.

When the smart speakerphone 110 receives the digital audio data from thehub, the DAC 318 converts the digital audio data to an analog signal.The speaker 320 outputs the sound 322 from the two-way call. Forexample, the speaker 320 may output the voice of an operator at themonitoring station.

The battery 324 enables the smart speakerphone 110 to operate without anexternal power source. However, the optional external power source 326can be connected to the smart speakerphone 110 as a backup source ofpower and/or to charge the battery 324.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example process for speakerphone emergencymonitoring. The process 400 can be performed by one or more computersystems, for example, the smart speakerphones 110, the hub 115, or thecontrol unit 215. In some implementations, some or all of the process400 can be performed by a monitoring server at the monitoring station120, or by a computer system located at the monitored property.

Briefly, the process 400 includes detecting a sound at one or more ofmultiple locations of a property (402), determining that the soundrepresents an emergency at the property (404), sending, to a monitoringstation, an indication of the emergency (406), receiving, from themonitoring station, a two-way voice telephone call (408), andbroadcasting the two-way voice call to the multiple locations of theproperty (410).

In greater detail, the process 400 includes detecting a sound at one ormore of multiple locations of a property (402). In some implementations,detecting the sound at one or more of multiple locations of a propertyincludes receiving audio data generated by one or more of a plurality ofspeakerphones. Each speakerphone is located at one of the multiplelocations of the property. For example, the sound can be detected by oneor more smart speakerphones, e.g., smart speakerphones 110 a, 110 b, 110c. The one or more multiple locations of the property can be, forexample, the bathroom 112, kitchen 114, and living room 106 of theproperty 102. The smart speakerphones can be distributed such that mostor all areas of the property are within hearing distance of at least oneof the smart speakerphones.

In some implementations, each speakerphone includes an audio microphoneand an audio speaker. Each speakerphone is configured to communicatewith a speakerphone hub device using digital enhanced cordlesstelecommunications (DECT) signals. For example, the speakerphone 110includes the microphone 304, for detecting sounds 302. The speakerphone110 includes the speaker 320 for outputting sounds 322. The speakerphone110 includes the DECT receiver 316 and the DECT transmitter 314 forcommunicating with a speakerphone hub device using DECT signals.

In some implementations, each of the plurality of speakerphone includesan array of microphones. For example, the array can include multiplemicrophones that are closely spaced. The microphones of the array canoperate in tandem in order to localize sources of sound by determiningdirectionality of detected sound.

In some implementations, receiving the audio data generated by one ormore of the plurality of speakerphones includes receiving first audiodata at a first volume from a first speakerphone at a first location ofthe property, and receiving second audio data at a second volume from asecond speakerphone at second location of the property. For example, anoccupant of the property may fall on the floor of the bathroom 112. Asound of the person falling in the bathroom 112 may be detected by afirst speakerphone 110 b, located in the bathroom 112, and by a secondspeakerphone 110 c, located in the kitchen 114. The hub 115 may receiveaudio data at a first volume generated by the first speakerphone 110 b,and audio data at a second volume generated by the second speakerphone110 c. The first volume will likely be greater than the second volumedue to a closer proximity between the speakerphone 110 b and the sourceof the sound.

The process 400 includes determining that the sound represents anemergency at the property (404). In some examples, the smartspeakerphone determines that the sound represents an emergency. In someexamples, a hub that receives audio data from multiple smartspeakerphones can determine that the sound represents an emergency. Insome examples, a control unit of a monitoring system can determine thatthe sound represents an emergency. For example, the control unit cancorrelate the detected sounds with sensor data from other sensors at theproperty. Based on analyzing the detected sounds and the sensor data,the control unit may determine that the sound represents an emergency.

In some implementations, determining that the sound indicates anemergency at the property includes analyzing audio characteristics ofthe sound and determining that the audio characteristics meet criteriafor indicating an emergency at the property. For example, a key soundengine 310 of a smart speakerphone can determine that the soundrepresents an emergency at the property by comparing the detected soundto key sound criteria.

In some implementations, determining that the audio characteristics meetcriteria for indicating an emergency at the property can includedetermining that the volume of the sound is greater than a thresholdvolume. For example, a threshold volume may be, for example, 100decibels. A firearm may discharge in the living room 106. Thespeakerphone 110 a generates audio data representing the firearmdischarge at a volume of 140 decibels. The hub 115 receives the audiodata from the speakerphone 110 a. The hub 115 can determine that theaudio data representing the firearm data at 140 decibels exceeds athreshold volume of 100 decibels. Based on determining that the volumeof the sound at 140 decibels is greater than the threshold volume of 100decibels, the hub 115 can determine that the audio characteristics meetcriteria for indicating an emergency at the property 102.

In some implementations, determining that the audio characteristics meetcriteria for indicating an emergency at the property includes comparingthe audio characteristics of the sound to audio characteristics ofstored sounds indicating an emergency at the property. The system maydetermine that the audio characteristics of the sound match the audiocharacteristics of one or more of the stored sounds indicating anemergency at the property. For example, the hub may perform acousticsignature recognition in order to determine a degree of matching betweendetected sounds and stored sounds.

In some implementations, the stored sounds include one or more of words,phrases, non-word human utterances, breaking sounds, falling sounds,audible alarms, or firearm sounds. For example, stored words and phrasescan include “help,” and “I need a doctor.” Stored non-word humanutterances can include, for example, sounds of human shouts and screams.Stored non-human sounds can include, for example, sounds of glassshattering, heavy objects falling, smoke alarms activating, carbonmonoxide alarms activating, and firearms discharging.

In some implementations, determining that the sound indicates anemergency at the property includes receiving sensor data generated byone or more sensors at the property. The sensor data can include one ormore of camera image data, motion sensor data, glass break sensor data,or temperature sensor data. The system can determine that the emergencyis occurring based on the detected sound and the received sensor data.

In an example scenario, determining that the sound indicates anemergency at the property includes determining that the sound isindicative of falling. For example, a sound indicative of falling may bea “thud” or a “crash” sound. The hub 115 may receive audio data from thespeakerphone 110 a indicating detection of the sound indicative offalling in the living room 106. The system can also receive motionsensor data generated by a motion sensor data at the property. Forexample, the motion sensor data may be generated by a motion sensorlocated near the speakerphone that detected the sound, e.g., in the sameroom as the speakerphone. The motion sensor data may indicate nomovement near the one or more locations of the property where the soundwas detected. In some examples, the motion sensor may indicate rapidmovement that was detected when a fall occurred, followed by no movementafter the fall occurred. For example, a motion sensor in the living roommay detect rapid movement while the occupant 104 falls, followed by nomovement after the occupant 104 has fallen. Based on the soundindicative of falling and the motion sensor data, the system candetermine that an occupant has fallen at the property. For example,based on the sound indicative of falling and based on no motion detectedin the living room 106, the hub 115 can determine that the occupant 104has fallen in the living room 106. Based on determining that an occupantof the property has fallen, the system can determine that the soundindicates an emergency at the property.

In another example scenario, determining that the sound indicates anemergency at the property includes determining that the sound isindicative of an object breaking. For example, a sound indicative of anobject breaking can be a glass shattering sound, a crunch sound, acracking sound, etc. The hub 115 may receive audio data from thespeakerphone 110 a indicating detection of the sound indicative of glassbreaking in the living room 106. The system can also receive cameraimage data generated by a camera at the property. For example, thecamera image data may be generated by a camera located near thespeakerphone that detected the sound, e.g., in the same room as thespeakerphone or positioned outside of the room where the speakerphone islocated. The camera image data may indicate an unfamiliar person at theproperty. For example, the camera image data may indicate the presenceof the person 212 outside of the property 102 near the window 204 of theliving room 106. Based on the sound indicative of an object breaking andthe camera image data, the system can determine that a break-in isoccurring at the property. For example, based on the sound indicative ofan object breaking and based on camera image data showing the person 212outside of the window 204, the hub 115 can determine that the person 212is breaking into the property 102. Based on determining that a break-inis occurring at the property, the system can determine that the soundindicates an emergency at the property.

In some implementations, the process includes determining a location ofthe emergency at the property. The system may determine the location ofthe emergency at the property by identifying the one or more of theplurality of speakerphones that detected the sound. For example, thesound of an occupant falling in the bathroom 112 may be detected by boththe speakerphone 110 b and the speakerphone 110 c. The system canidentify an installation location of each of the identified one or moreof the plurality of speakerphones that detected the sound. Theinstallation location of the speakerphone may be identified, e.g., basedon input previously input by a user. In some examples, the installationlocation of the speakerphone may be identified based on a storedfloorplan indicating the installation locations of each speakerphone.

As an example, the system can determine that the speakerphone 110 bdetected the sound, and is located in the bathroom 112. The system candetermine that the speakerphone 110 c detected the sound, and is locatedin the kitchen. In some examples, the system may identify a specificinstallation position of a speakerphone within a room of a property. Forexample, the system may determine that the speakerphone 110 c ispositioned atop the refrigerator in the kitchen 114, and that therefrigerator is located adjacent to an outer wall of the property 102.In another example, the system may determine that the speakerphone 110 bis mounted to an interior wall of the bathroom 112 at an elevation of 4feet off of the floor. The system can determine the location of theemergency at the property based on the installation location of each ofthe identified one or more of the plurality of speakerphones thatdetected the sound. Based on the installation location of thespeakerphone 110 b and 110 c, the system can determine that the falloccurred on the upper level of the property 102.

In some implementations, determining the location of the emergency atthe property based on the identified installation location of each ofthe one or more of the plurality of speakerphones that detected thesound includes accessing data indicating an audio detection range ofeach of the identified speakerphones that detected the sound. Forexample, the sound of an occupant falling in the kitchen 114 may bedetected only by the speakerphone 110 c. The system can access dataindicating an audio detection range of the speakerphone 110 c. The audiodetection range of the speakerphone 110 c may be, for example, ten feet.The system can also access data indicating a floorplan of the property.For example, the system can access data indicating a floorplan thatspecifies the size of the kitchen is thirty feet by thirty feet. Thefloorplan may also indicate a specific location of the speakerphone 110c within the kitchen, e.g., that the speakerphone 110 c is located atopa table in the center of the kitchen. Based on the installation locationof the identified one or more of the plurality of speakerphones thatdetected the sound, the audio detection range of each of the identifiedspeakerphones that detected the sound, and the floorplan of theproperty, the system can determine a location of the emergency at theproperty. For example, based on the installation location of thespeakerphone 110 c in the kitchen, the audio detection range of tenfeet, and the floorplan indicating the size of the kitchen as thirtyfeet by thirty feet, the system can determine that the emergency at theproperty is located in the kitchen.

In some implementations, the process includes determining, based onaudio data generated by each microphone of the array of microphones, adirectionality of the sound. Based on determining the directionality ofthe sound, the system can determine the location of the emergency at theproperty. For example, sounds of a person shouting in the bathroom 112may be detected by the speakerphone 110 b, which may include an array ofmicrophones. The hub 115 can receive audio data generated by thespeakerphone 110 b representing the shouting sounds. Based on the audiodata generated by each microphone of the array, the hub 115 candetermine the directionality of the sounds. The directionality of thesounds may be from the direction of the bathtub in the bathroom 112.Based on the directionality of the sounds, the hub 115 can determinethat the emergency is occurring in or near the bathtub in the bathroom112.

In some implementations, the process includes comparing a volume of thefirst audio data from the first speakerphone to a volume of the secondaudio data from the second speakerphone. Based on comparing the volumeof the first audio data to the volume of the second audio data, thesystem can determine the location of the emergency at the property. Forexample, an occupant of the property may fall on the floor of thebathroom 112 and the sound may be detected by a first speakerphone 110b, and by a second speakerphone 110 c. The hub 115 may receive audiodata at a first volume generated by the first speakerphone 110 b, andaudio data at a second volume generated by the second speakerphone 110c. The system can compare the volume of the first audio data from thefirst speakerphone 110 b to the volume of the second audio data from thesecond speakerphone 110 c, and determine that the first volume isgreater than the second volume. Based on determining that the firstvolume is greater than the second volume, the system can determine thatthe location of the emergency is nearer to the first speakerphone 110 bthan to the second speakerphone 110 c.

The process 400 includes sending, to a monitoring station, an indicationof the emergency (406). The hub or a control unit may send theindication of the emergency to the monitoring station. The indicationcan include an alert, and may include additional sensor data from thesmart speakerphones and/or other sensors at the property. The indicationof the emergency may include a monitoring system status, e.g., “armed,stay,” or “armed, away.”

In some implementations, sending, to a monitoring station, an indicationof the emergency includes sending, to the monitoring station, dataindicating a type of emergency. For example, the indication of theemergency can include data indicating that the type of emergency is,e.g., an occupant falling, a break-in, a firearm discharge, a fire alarmactivation, etc.

In some implementations, sending, to a monitoring station, an indicationof the emergency includes sending, to the monitoring station, dataindicating a location of the emergency at the property. For example, theindication of the emergency can include data indicating that thelocation of the emergency is, e.g., in the bathroom, in the bathtub, onthe top floor, between the bathroom and the kitchen, etc.

The process 400 includes receiving, from the monitoring station, atwo-way voice telephone call (408). In some examples, a monitoringserver at the monitoring station may automatically initiate a two-waycall to the property in response to receiving the indication of theemergency. In some examples, a human operator at the monitoring stationmay initiate the two-way call in response to receiving the indication ofthe emergency. The two-way call can be received by the hub at theproperty.

The process 400 includes broadcasting the two-way voice call to themultiple locations of the property (410). For example, upon receivingthe two-way call, the hub can send the call audio to any or all of thesmart speakerphones throughout the property. The smart speakerphones canbroadcast the call audio, e.g., the voice of the operator. A user canthen respond to the call by speaking near any of the smartspeakerphones. The operator and the user can communicate through thetwo-way call, and the operator can confirm if emergency assistance isneeded at the property.

In some implementations, broadcasting the two-way voice call to themultiple locations of the property includes broadcasting the two-wayvoice call through the plurality of speakerphones. For example, thesystem may broadcast the two-way voice call through all of thespeakerphone 110 a-110 c.

In some implementations, broadcasting the two-way voice call to themultiple locations of the property includes identifying the one or moreof the plurality of speakerphones that detected the sound, andbroadcasting the two-way voice call through each of the identified oneor more of the plurality of speakerphones that detected the sound. Forexample, the system may determine that the sound was detected by thespeakerphones 110 b and 110 c and not by the speaker phone 110 a. Basedon determining that the sound was detected by the speakerphones 110 band 110 c and not by the speaker phone 110 a, the system can broadcastthe two-way voice call through both the speakerphones 110 b and 110 cand not the speaker phone 110 a.

In some examples, upon receiving a response from an occupant through aparticular speakerphone, the system may deactivate one or more of theother speakerphones. For example, the system may initially broadcast thetwo-way voice call through both the speakerphones 110 b and 110 c. Theoccupant may respond by speaking near the speakerphone 110 b. The systemcan detect the occupant's voice through the speakerphone 110 b. Based ondetecting the occupant's voice through the speakerphone 110 b, thesystem can deactivate the speakerphone 110 c.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a home monitoring system500. The monitoring system 500 includes a network 505, a control unit510, one or more user devices 540 and 550, a monitoring server 560, anda central alarm station server 570. In some examples, the network 505facilitates communications between the control unit 510, the one or moreuser devices 540 and 550, the monitoring server 560, and the centralalarm station server 570.

The network 505 is configured to enable exchange of electroniccommunications between devices connected to the network 505. Forexample, the network 505 may be configured to enable exchange ofelectronic communications between the control unit 510, the one or moreuser devices 540 and 550, the monitoring server 560, and the centralalarm station server 570. The network 505 may include, for example, oneor more of the Internet, Wide Area Networks (WANs), Local Area Networks(LANs), analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks (e.g., apublic switched telephone network (PSTN), Integrated Services DigitalNetwork (ISDN), a cellular network, and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)),radio, television, cable, satellite, or any other delivery or tunnelingmechanism for carrying data. Network 505 may include multiple networksor subnetworks, each of which may include, for example, a wired orwireless data pathway. The network 505 may include a circuit-switchednetwork, a packet-switched data network, or any other network able tocarry electronic communications (e.g., data or voice communications).For example, the network 505 may include networks based on the Internetprotocol (IP), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), the PSTN,packet-switched networks based on IP, X.25, or Frame Relay, or othercomparable technologies and may support voice using, for example, VoIP,or other comparable protocols used for voice communications. The network505 may include one or more networks that include wireless data channelsand wireless voice channels. The network 505 may be a wireless network,a broadband network, or a combination of networks including a wirelessnetwork and a broadband network.

The control unit 510 includes a controller 512 and a network module 514.The controller 512 is configured to control a control unit monitoringsystem (e.g., a control unit system) that includes the control unit 510.In some examples, the controller 512 may include a processor or othercontrol circuitry configured to execute instructions of a program thatcontrols operation of a control unit system. In these examples, thecontroller 512 may be configured to receive input from sensors, flowmeters, or other devices included in the control unit system and controloperations of devices included in the household (e.g., speakers, lights,doors, etc.). For example, the controller 512 may be configured tocontrol operation of the network module 514 included in the control unit510.

The network module 514 is a communication device configured to exchangecommunications over the network 505. The network module 514 may be awireless communication module configured to exchange wirelesscommunications over the network 505. For example, the network module 514may be a wireless communication device configured to exchangecommunications over a wireless data channel and a wireless voicechannel. In this example, the network module 514 may transmit alarm dataover a wireless data channel and establish a two-way voice communicationsession over a wireless voice channel. The wireless communication devicemay include one or more of a LTE module, a GSM module, a radio modem,cellular transmission module, or any type of module configured toexchange communications in one of the following formats: LTE, GSM orGPRS, CDMA, EDGE or EGPRS, EV-DO or EVDO, UMTS, or IP.

The network module 514 also may be a wired communication moduleconfigured to exchange communications over the network 505 using a wiredconnection. For instance, the network module 514 may be a modem, anetwork interface card, or another type of network interface device. Thenetwork module 514 may be an Ethernet network card configured to enablethe control unit 510 to communicate over a local area network and/or theInternet. The network module 514 also may be a voice band modemconfigured to enable the alarm panel to communicate over the telephonelines of Plain Old Telephone Systems (POTS).

The control unit system that includes the control unit 510 includes oneor more sensors. For example, the monitoring system may include multiplesensors 520. The sensors 520 may include a lock sensor, a contactsensor, a motion sensor, or any other type of sensor included in acontrol unit system. The sensors 520 also may include an environmentalsensor, such as an indoor smart speakerphone, an outdoor smartspeakerphone, a temperature sensor, a water sensor, a rain sensor, awind sensor, a light sensor, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxidedetector, an air quality sensor, etc. The sensors 520 further mayinclude a health monitoring sensor, such as a prescription bottle sensorthat monitors taking of prescriptions, a blood pressure sensor, a bloodsugar sensor, a bed mat configured to sense presence of liquid (e.g.,bodily fluids) on the bed mat, etc. In some examples, thehealth-monitoring sensor can be a wearable sensor that attaches to auser in the home. The health-monitoring sensor can collect varioushealth data, including pulse, heart rate, respiration rate, sugar orglucose level, bodily temperature, or motion data.

The sensors 520 can also include a radio-frequency identification (RFID)sensor that identifies a particular article that includes a pre-assignedRFID tag.

The control unit 510 communicates with the home automation controls 522and a camera 530 to perform monitoring. The home automation controls 522are connected to one or more devices that enable automation of actionsin the home. For instance, the home automation controls 522 may beconnected to one or more lighting systems and may be configured tocontrol operation of the one or more lighting systems. In addition, thehome automation controls 522 may be connected to one or more electroniclocks at the home and may be configured to control operation of the oneor more electronic locks (e.g., control Z-Wave locks using wirelesscommunications in the Z-Wave protocol). Further, the home automationcontrols 522 may be connected to one or more appliances at the home andmay be configured to control operation of the one or more appliances.The home automation controls 522 may include multiple modules that areeach specific to the type of device being controlled in an automatedmanner. The home automation controls 522 may control the one or moredevices based on commands received from the control unit 510. Forinstance, the home automation controls 522 may cause a lighting systemto illuminate an area to provide a better image of the area whencaptured by a camera 530.

The camera 530 may be a video/photographic camera or other type ofoptical sensing device configured to capture images. For instance, thecamera 530 may be configured to capture images of an area within abuilding or home monitored by the control unit 510. The camera 530 maybe configured to capture single, static images of the area and alsovideo images of the area in which multiple images of the area arecaptured at a relatively high frequency (e.g., thirty images persecond). The camera 530 may be controlled based on commands receivedfrom the control unit 510.

The camera 530 may be triggered by several different types oftechniques. For instance, a Passive Infra-Red (PIR) motion sensor may bebuilt into the camera 530 and used to trigger the camera 530 to captureone or more images when motion is detected. The camera 530 also mayinclude a microwave motion sensor built into the camera and used totrigger the camera 530 to capture one or more images when motion isdetected. The camera 530 may have a “normally open” or “normally closed”digital input that can trigger capture of one or more images whenexternal sensors (e.g., the sensors 520, PIR, door/window, etc.) detectmotion or other events. In some implementations, the camera 530 receivesa command to capture an image when external devices detect motion oranother potential alarm event. The camera 530 may receive the commandfrom the controller 512 or directly from one of the sensors 520.

In some examples, the camera 530 triggers integrated or externalilluminators (e.g., Infra-Red, Z-wave controlled “white” lights, lightscontrolled by the home automation controls 522, etc.) to improve imagequality when the scene is dark. An integrated or separate light sensormay be used to determine if illumination is desired and may result inincreased image quality.

The camera 530 may be programmed with any combination of time/dayschedules, system “arming state”, or other variables to determinewhether images should be captured or not when triggers occur. The camera530 may enter a low-power mode when not capturing images. In this case,the camera 530 may wake periodically to check for inbound messages fromthe controller 512. The camera 530 may be powered by internal,replaceable batteries if located remotely from the control unit 510. Thecamera 530 may employ a small solar cell to recharge the battery whenlight is available. Alternatively, the camera 530 may be powered by thecontroller's 512 power supply if the camera 530 is co-located with thecontroller 512.

In some implementations, the camera 530 communicates directly with themonitoring server 560 over the Internet. In these implementations, imagedata captured by the camera 530 does not pass through the control unit510 and the camera 530 receives commands related to operation from themonitoring server 560.

The system 500 also includes thermostat 534 to perform dynamicenvironmental control at the home. The thermostat 534 is configured tomonitor temperature and/or energy consumption of an HVAC systemassociated with the thermostat 534, and is further configured to providecontrol of environmental (e.g., temperature) settings. In someimplementations, the thermostat 534 can additionally or alternativelyreceive data relating to activity at a home and/or environmental data ata home, e.g., at various locations indoors and outdoors at the home. Thethermostat 534 can directly measure energy consumption of the HVACsystem associated with the thermostat, or can estimate energyconsumption of the HVAC system associated with the thermostat 534, forexample, based on detected usage of one or more components of the HVACsystem associated with the thermostat 534. The thermostat 534 cancommunicate temperature and/or energy monitoring information to or fromthe control unit 510 and can control the environmental (e.g.,temperature) settings based on commands received from the control unit510.

In some implementations, the thermostat 534 is a dynamicallyprogrammable thermostat and can be integrated with the control unit 510.For example, the dynamically programmable thermostat 534 can include thecontrol unit 510, e.g., as an internal component to the dynamicallyprogrammable thermostat 534. In addition, the control unit 510 can be agateway device that communicates with the dynamically programmablethermostat 534. In some implementations, the thermostat 534 iscontrolled via one or more home automation controls 522.

A module 537 is connected to one or more components of an HVAC systemassociated with a home, and is configured to control operation of theone or more components of the HVAC system. In some implementations, themodule 537 is also configured to monitor energy consumption of the HVACsystem components, for example, by directly measuring the energyconsumption of the HVAC system components or by estimating the energyusage of the one or more HVAC system components based on detecting usageof components of the HVAC system. The module 537 can communicate energymonitoring information and the state of the HVAC system components tothe thermostat 534 and can control the one or more components of theHVAC system based on commands received from the thermostat 534.

In some examples, the system 500 further includes one or more roboticdevices 590. The robotic devices 590 may be any type of robots that arecapable of moving and taking actions that assist in home monitoring. Forexample, the robotic devices 590 may include drones that are capable ofmoving throughout a home based on automated control technology and/oruser input control provided by a user. In this example, the drones maybe able to fly, roll, walk, or otherwise move about the home. The dronesmay include helicopter type devices (e.g., quad copters), rollinghelicopter type devices (e.g., roller copter devices that can fly androll along the ground, walls, or ceiling) and land vehicle type devices(e.g., automated cars that drive around a home). In some cases, therobotic devices 590 may be devices that are intended for other purposesand merely associated with the system 500 for use in appropriatecircumstances. For instance, a robotic vacuum cleaner device may beassociated with the monitoring system 500 as one of the robotic devices590 and may be controlled to take action responsive to monitoring systemevents.

In some examples, the robotic devices 590 automatically navigate withina home. In these examples, the robotic devices 590 include sensors andcontrol processors that guide movement of the robotic devices 590 withinthe home. For instance, the robotic devices 590 may navigate within thehome using one or more cameras, one or more proximity sensors, one ormore gyroscopes, one or more accelerometers, one or more magnetometers,a global positioning system (GPS) unit, an altimeter, one or more sonaror laser sensors, and/or any other types of sensors that aid innavigation about a space. The robotic devices 590 may include controlprocessors that process output from the various sensors and control therobotic devices 590 to move along a path that reaches the desireddestination and avoids obstacles. In this regard, the control processorsdetect walls or other obstacles in the home and guide movement of therobotic devices 590 in a manner that avoids the walls and otherobstacles.

In addition, the robotic devices 590 may store data that describesattributes of the home. For instance, the robotic devices 590 may storea floorplan and/or a three-dimensional model of the home that enablesthe robotic devices 590 to navigate the home. During initialconfiguration, the robotic devices 590 may receive the data describingattributes of the home, determine a frame of reference to the data(e.g., a home or reference location in the home), and navigate the homebased on the frame of reference and the data describing attributes ofthe home. Further, initial configuration of the robotic devices 590 alsomay include learning of one or more navigation patterns in which a userprovides input to control the robotic devices 590 to perform a specificnavigation action (e.g., fly to an upstairs bedroom and spin aroundwhile capturing video and then return to a home charging base). In thisregard, the robotic devices 590 may learn and store the navigationpatterns such that the robotic devices 590 may automatically repeat thespecific navigation actions upon a later request.

In some examples, the robotic devices 590 may include data capture andrecording devices. In these examples, the robotic devices 590 mayinclude one or more cameras, one or more motion sensors, one or moremicrophones, one or more biometric data collection tools, one or moretemperature sensors, one or more smart speakerphones, one or more airflow sensors, and/or any other types of sensors that may be useful incapturing monitoring data related to the home and users in the home. Theone or more biometric data collection tools may be configured to collectbiometric samples of a person in the home with or without contact of theperson. For instance, the biometric data collection tools may include afingerprint scanner, a hair sample collection tool, a skin cellcollection tool, and/or any other tool that allows the robotic devices590 to take and store a biometric sample that can be used to identifythe person (e.g., a biometric sample with DNA that can be used for DNAtesting).

In some implementations, the robotic devices 590 may include outputdevices. In these implementations, the robotic devices 590 may includeone or more displays, one or more speakers, and/or any type of outputdevices that allow the robotic devices 590 to communicate information toa nearby user.

The robotic devices 590 also may include a communication module thatenables the robotic devices 590 to communicate with the control unit510, each other, and/or other devices. The communication module may be awireless communication module that allows the robotic devices 590 tocommunicate wirelessly. For instance, the communication module may be aWi-Fi module that enables the robotic devices 590 to communicate over alocal wireless network at the home. The communication module further maybe a 900 MHz wireless communication module that enables the roboticdevices 590 to communicate directly with the control unit 510. Othertypes of short-range wireless communication protocols, such asBluetooth, Bluetooth LE, Z-wave, Zigbee, etc., may be used to allow therobotic devices 590 to communicate with other devices in the home. Insome implementations, the robotic devices 590 may communicate with eachother or with other devices of the system 500 through the network 505.

The robotic devices 590 further may include processor and storagecapabilities. The robotic devices 590 may include any suitableprocessing devices that enable the robotic devices 590 to operateapplications and perform the actions described throughout thisdisclosure. In addition, the robotic devices 590 may include solid-stateelectronic storage that enables the robotic devices 590 to storeapplications, configuration data, collected sensor data, and/or anyother type of information available to the robotic devices 590.

The robotic devices 590 are associated with one or more chargingstations. The charging stations may be located at predefined home baseor reference locations in the home. The robotic devices 590 may beconfigured to navigate to the charging stations after completion oftasks needed to be performed for the monitoring system 500. Forinstance, after completion of a monitoring operation or upon instructionby the control unit 510, the robotic devices 590 may be configured toautomatically fly to and land on one of the charging stations. In thisregard, the robotic devices 590 may automatically maintain a fullycharged battery in a state in which the robotic devices 590 are readyfor use by the monitoring system 500.

The charging stations may be contact based charging stations and/orwireless charging stations. For contact based charging stations, therobotic devices 590 may have readily accessible points of contact thatthe robotic devices 590 are capable of positioning and mating with acorresponding contact on the charging station. For instance, ahelicopter type robotic device may have an electronic contact on aportion of its landing gear that rests on and mates with an electronicpad of a charging station when the helicopter type robotic device landson the charging station. The electronic contact on the robotic devicemay include a cover that opens to expose the electronic contact when therobotic device is charging and closes to cover and insulate theelectronic contact when the robotic device is in operation.

For wireless charging stations, the robotic devices 590 may chargethrough a wireless exchange of power. In these cases, the roboticdevices 590 need only locate themselves closely enough to the wirelesscharging stations for the wireless exchange of power to occur. In thisregard, the positioning needed to land at a predefined home base orreference location in the home may be less precise than with a contactbased charging station. Based on the robotic devices 590 landing at awireless charging station, the wireless charging station outputs awireless signal that the robotic devices 590 receive and convert to apower signal that charges a battery maintained on the robotic devices590.

In some implementations, each of the robotic devices 590 has acorresponding and assigned charging station such that the number ofrobotic devices 590 equals the number of charging stations. In theseimplementations, the robotic devices 590 always navigate to the specificcharging station assigned to that robotic device. For instance, a firstrobotic device may always use a first charging station and a secondrobotic device may always use a second charging station.

In some examples, the robotic devices 590 may share charging stations.For instance, the robotic devices 590 may use one or more communitycharging stations that are capable of charging multiple robotic devices590. The community charging station may be configured to charge multiplerobotic devices 590 in parallel. The community charging station may beconfigured to charge multiple robotic devices 590 in serial such thatthe multiple robotic devices 590 take turns charging and, when fullycharged, return to a predefined home base or reference location in thehome that is not associated with a charger. The number of communitycharging stations may be less than the number of robotic devices 590.

In addition, the charging stations may not be assigned to specificrobotic devices 590 and may be capable of charging any of the roboticdevices 590. In this regard, the robotic devices 590 may use anysuitable, unoccupied charging station when not in use. For instance,when one of the robotic devices 590 has completed an operation or is inneed of battery charge, the control unit 510 references a stored tableof the occupancy status of each charging station and instructs therobotic device to navigate to the nearest charging station that isunoccupied.

The system 500 further includes one or more integrated security devices580. The one or more integrated security devices may include any type ofdevice used to provide alerts based on received sensor data. Forinstance, the one or more control units 510 may provide one or morealerts to the one or more integrated security input/output devices 580.Additionally, the one or more control units 510 may receive one or moresensor data from the sensors 520 and determine whether to provide analert to the one or more integrated security input/output devices 580.

The sensors 520, the home automation controls 522, the camera 530, thethermostat 534, and the integrated security devices 580 may communicatewith the controller 512 over communication links 524, 526, 528, 532,538, and 584. The communication links 524, 526, 528, 532, 538, and 584may be a wired or wireless data pathway configured to transmit signalsfrom the sensors 520, the home automation controls 522, the camera 530,the thermostat 534, and the integrated security devices 580 to thecontroller 512. The sensors 520, the home automation controls 522, thecamera 530, the thermostat 534, and the integrated security devices 580may continuously transmit sensed values to the controller 512,periodically transmit sensed values to the controller 512, or transmitsensed values to the controller 512 in response to a change in a sensedvalue.

The communication links 524, 526, 528, 532, 538, and 584 may include alocal network. The sensors 520, the home automation controls 522, thecamera 530, the thermostat 534, and the integrated security devices 580,and the controller 512 may exchange data and commands over the localnetwork. The local network may include 802.11 “Wi-Fi” wireless Ethernet(e.g., using low-power Wi-Fi chipsets), Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth,“Homeplug” or other “Powerline” networks that operate over AC wiring,and a Category 5 (CATS) or Category 6 (CAT6) wired Ethernet network. Thelocal network may be a mesh network constructed based on the devicesconnected to the mesh network.

The monitoring server 560 is an electronic device configured to providemonitoring services by exchanging electronic communications with thecontrol unit 510, the one or more user devices 540 and 550, and thecentral alarm station server 570 over the network 505. For example, themonitoring server 560 may be configured to monitor events generated bythe control unit 510. In this example, the monitoring server 560 mayexchange electronic communications with the network module 514 includedin the control unit 510 to receive information regarding events detectedby the control unit 510. The monitoring server 560 also may receiveinformation regarding events from the one or more user devices 540 and550.

In some examples, the monitoring server 560 may route alert datareceived from the network module 514 or the one or more user devices 540and 550 to the central alarm station server 570. For example, themonitoring server 560 may transmit the alert data to the central alarmstation server 570 over the network 505.

The monitoring server 560 may store sensor and image data received fromthe monitoring system and perform analysis of sensor and image datareceived from the monitoring system. Based on the analysis, themonitoring server 560 may communicate with and control aspects of thecontrol unit 510 or the one or more user devices 540 and 550.

The monitoring server 560 may provide various monitoring services to thesystem 500. For example, the monitoring server 560 may analyze thesensor, image, and other data to determine an activity pattern of aresident of the home monitored by the system 500. In someimplementations, the monitoring server 560 may analyze the data foralarm conditions or may determine and perform actions at the home byissuing commands to one or more of the controls 522, possibly throughthe control unit 510.

The monitoring server 560 can be configured to provide information(e.g., activity patterns) related to one or more residents of the homemonitored by the system 500 (e.g., the resident 104). For example, oneor more of the sensors 520, the home automation controls 522, the camera530, the thermostat 534, and the integrated security devices 580 cancollect data related to a resident including location information (e.g.,if the resident is home or is not home) and provide location informationto the thermostat 534.

The central alarm station server 570 is an electronic device configuredto provide alarm monitoring service by exchanging communications withthe control unit 510, the one or more user devices 540 and 550, and themonitoring server 560 over the network 505. For example, the centralalarm station server 570 may be configured to monitor alerting eventsgenerated by the control unit 510. In this example, the central alarmstation server 570 may exchange communications with the network module514 included in the control unit 510 to receive information regardingalerting events detected by the control unit 510. The central alarmstation server 570 also may receive information regarding alertingevents from the one or more user devices 540 and 550 and/or themonitoring server 560.

The central alarm station server 570 is connected to multiple terminals572 and 574. The terminals 572 and 574 may be used by operators toprocess alerting events. For example, the central alarm station server570 may route alerting data to the terminals 572 and 574 to enable anoperator to process the alerting data. The terminals 572 and 574 mayinclude general-purpose computers (e.g., desktop personal computers,workstations, or laptop computers) that are configured to receivealerting data from a server in the central alarm station server 570 andrender a display of information based on the alerting data. Forinstance, the controller 512 may control the network module 514 totransmit, to the central alarm station server 570, alerting dataindicating that a sensor 520 detected motion from a motion sensor viathe sensors 520. The central alarm station server 570 may receive thealerting data and route the alerting data to the terminal 572 forprocessing by an operator associated with the terminal 572. The terminal572 may render a display to the operator that includes informationassociated with the alerting event (e.g., the lock sensor data, themotion sensor data, the contact sensor data, etc.) and the operator mayhandle the alerting event based on the displayed information.

In some implementations, the terminals 572 and 574 may be mobile devicesor devices designed for a specific function. Although FIG. 5 illustratestwo terminals for brevity, actual implementations may include more (and,perhaps, many more) terminals.

The one or more authorized user devices 540 and 550 are devices thathost and display user interfaces. For instance, the user device 540 is amobile device that hosts or runs one or more native applications (e.g.,the home monitoring application 542). The user device 540 may be acellular phone or a non-cellular locally networked device with adisplay. The user device 540 may include a cell phone, a smart phone, atablet PC, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), or any other portabledevice configured to communicate over a network and display information.For example, implementations may also include Blackberry-type devices(e.g., as provided by Research in Motion), electronic organizers,iPhone-type devices (e.g., as provided by Apple), iPod devices (e.g., asprovided by Apple) or other portable music players, other communicationdevices, and handheld or portable electronic devices for gaming,communications, and/or data organization. The user device 540 mayperform functions unrelated to the monitoring system, such as placingpersonal telephone calls, playing music, playing video, displayingpictures, browsing the Internet, maintaining an electronic calendar,etc.

The user device 540 includes a home monitoring application 542. The homemonitoring application 542 refers to a software/firmware program runningon the corresponding mobile device that enables the user interface andfeatures described throughout. The user device 540 may load or installthe home monitoring application 542 based on data received over anetwork or data received from local media. The home monitoringapplication 542 runs on mobile devices platforms, such as iPhone, iPodtouch, Blackberry, Google Android, Windows Mobile, etc. The homemonitoring application 542 enables the user device 540 to receive andprocess image and sensor data from the monitoring system.

The user device 540 may be a general-purpose computer (e.g., a desktoppersonal computer, a workstation, or a laptop computer) that isconfigured to communicate with the monitoring server 560 and/or thecontrol unit 510 over the network 505. The user device 540 may beconfigured to display a smart home user interface 552 that is generatedby the user device 540 or generated by the monitoring server 560. Forexample, the user device 540 may be configured to display a userinterface (e.g., a web page) provided by the monitoring server 560 thatenables a user to perceive images captured by the camera 530 and/orreports related to the monitoring system. Although FIG. 5 illustratestwo user devices for brevity, actual implementations may include more(and, perhaps, many more) or fewer user devices.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 540 and 550communicate with and receive monitoring system data from the controlunit 510 using the communication link 538. For instance, the one or moreuser devices 540 and 550 may communicate with the control unit 510 usingvarious local wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-wave,Zigbee, HomePlug (ethernet over power line), or wired protocols such asEthernet and USB, to connect the one or more user devices 540 and 550 tolocal security and automation equipment. The one or more user devices540 and 550 may connect locally to the monitoring system and its sensorsand other devices. The local connection may improve the speed of statusand control communications because communicating through the network 505with a remote server (e.g., the monitoring server 560) may besignificantly slower.

Although the one or more user devices 540 and 550 are shown ascommunicating with the control unit 510, the one or more user devices540 and 550 may communicate directly with the sensors and other devicescontrolled by the control unit 510. In some implementations, the one ormore user devices 540 and 550 replace the control unit 510 and performthe functions of the control unit 510 for local monitoring and longrange/offsite communication.

In other implementations, the one or more user devices 540 and 550receive monitoring system data captured by the control unit 510 throughthe network 505. The one or more user devices 540, 550 may receive thedata from the control unit 510 through the network 505 or the monitoringserver 560 may relay data received from the control unit 510 to the oneor more user devices 540 and 550 through the network 505. In thisregard, the monitoring server 560 may facilitate communication betweenthe one or more user devices 540 and 550 and the monitoring system.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 540 and 550 may beconfigured to switch whether the one or more user devices 540 and 550communicate with the control unit 510 directly (e.g., through link 538)or through the monitoring server 560 (e.g., through network 505) basedon a location of the one or more user devices 540 and 550. For instance,when the one or more user devices 540 and 550 are located close to thecontrol unit 510 and in range to communicate directly with the controlunit 510, the one or more user devices 540 and 550 use directcommunication. When the one or more user devices 540 and 550 are locatedfar from the control unit 510 and not in range to communicate directlywith the control unit 510, the one or more user devices 540 and 550 usecommunication through the monitoring server 560.

Although the one or more user devices 540 and 550 are shown as beingconnected to the network 505, in some implementations, the one or moreuser devices 540 and 550 are not connected to the network 505. In theseimplementations, the one or more user devices 540 and 550 communicatedirectly with one or more of the monitoring system components and nonetwork (e.g., Internet) connection or reliance on remote servers isneeded.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 540 and 550 areused in conjunction with only local sensors and/or local devices in ahouse. In these implementations, the system 500 includes the one or moreuser devices 540 and 550, the sensors 520, the home automation controls522, the camera 530, and the robotic devices 590. The one or more userdevices 540 and 550 receive data directly from the sensors 520, the homeautomation controls 522, the camera 530, and the robotic devices 590,and sends data directly to the sensors 520, the home automation controls522, the camera 530, and the robotic devices 590. The one or more userdevices 540, 550 provide the appropriate interfaces/processing toprovide visual surveillance and reporting.

In other implementations, the system 500 further includes network 505and the sensors 520, the home automation controls 522, the camera 530,the thermostat 534, and the robotic devices 590, and are configured tocommunicate sensor and image data to the one or more user devices 540and 550 over network 505 (e.g., the Internet, cellular network, etc.).In yet another implementation, the sensors 520, the home automationcontrols 522, the camera 530, the thermostat 534, and the roboticdevices 590 (or a component, such as a bridge/router) are intelligentenough to change the communication pathway from a direct local pathwaywhen the one or more user devices 540 and 550 are in close physicalproximity to the sensors 520, the home automation controls 522, thecamera 530, the thermostat 534, and the robotic devices 590 to a pathwayover network 505 when the one or more user devices 540 and 550 arefarther from the sensors 520, the home automation controls 522, thecamera 530, the thermostat 534, and the robotic devices 590.

In some examples, the system leverages GPS information from the one ormore user devices 540 and 550 to determine whether the one or more userdevices 540 and 550 are close enough to the sensors 520, the homeautomation controls 522, the camera 530, the thermostat 534, and therobotic devices 590 to use the direct local pathway or whether the oneor more user devices 540 and 550 are far enough from the sensors 520,the home automation controls 522, the camera 530, the thermostat 534,and the robotic devices 590 that the pathway over network 505 isrequired.

In other examples, the system leverages status communications (e.g.,pinging) between the one or more user devices 540 and 550 and thesensors 520, the home automation controls 522, the camera 530, thethermostat 534, and the robotic devices 590 to determine whethercommunication using the direct local pathway is possible. Ifcommunication using the direct local pathway is possible, the one ormore user devices 540 and 550 communicate with the sensors 520, the homeautomation controls 522, the camera 530, the thermostat 534, and therobotic devices 590 using the direct local pathway. If communicationusing the direct local pathway is not possible, the one or more userdevices 540 and 550 communicate with the sensors 520, the homeautomation controls 522, the camera 530, the thermostat 534, and therobotic devices 590 using the pathway over network 505.

In some implementations, the system 500 provides end users with accessto images captured by the camera 530 to aid in decision making. Thesystem 500 may transmit the images captured by the camera 530 over awireless WAN network to the user devices 540 and 550. Becausetransmission over a wireless WAN network may be relatively expensive,the system 500 can use several techniques to reduce costs whileproviding access to significant levels of useful visual information(e.g., compressing data, down-sampling data, sending data only overinexpensive LAN connections, or other techniques).

In some implementations, a state of the monitoring system and otherevents sensed by the monitoring system may be used to enable/disablevideo/image recording devices (e.g., the camera 530). In theseimplementations, the camera 530 may be set to capture images on aperiodic basis when the alarm system is armed in an “away” state, butset not to capture images when the alarm system is armed in a “home”state or disarmed. In addition, the camera 530 may be triggered to begincapturing images when the alarm system detects an event, such as analarm event, a door-opening event for a door that leads to an areawithin a field of view of the camera 530, or motion in the area withinthe field of view of the camera 530. In other implementations, thecamera 530 may capture images continuously, but the captured images maybe stored or transmitted over a network when needed.

The described systems, methods, and techniques may be implemented indigital electronic circuitry, computer hardware, firmware, software, orin combinations of these elements. Apparatus implementing thesetechniques may include appropriate input and output devices, a computerprocessor, and a computer program product tangibly embodied in amachine-readable storage device for execution by a programmableprocessor. A process implementing these techniques may be performed by aprogrammable processor executing a program of instructions to performdesired functions by operating on input data and generating appropriateoutput. The techniques may be implemented in one or more computerprograms that are executable on a programmable system including at leastone programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructionsfrom, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system,at least one input device, and at least one output device.

Each computer program may be implemented in a high-level procedural orobject-oriented programming language, or in assembly or machine languageif desired; and in any case, the language may be a compiled orinterpreted language. Suitable processors include, by way of example,both general and special purpose microprocessors. Generally, a processorwill receive instructions and data from a read-only memory and/or arandom access memory. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodyingcomputer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatilememory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, suchas Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices;magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks;magneto-optical disks; and Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM). Anyof the foregoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, speciallydesigned ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits).

It will be understood that various modifications may be made. Forexample, other useful implementations could be achieved if steps of thedisclosed techniques were performed in a different order and/or ifcomponents in the disclosed systems were combined in a different mannerand/or replaced or supplemented by other components. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: detecting a sound at one ormore of multiple locations of a property; determining that the soundindicates an emergency at the property; sending, to a monitoringstation, an indication of the emergency; receiving, from the monitoringstation, a two-way voice call; and broadcasting the two-way voice callto the multiple locations of the property.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein detecting the sound at one or more of multiple locations of aproperty comprises receiving audio data generated by one or more of aplurality of speakerphones, each speakerphone being located at one ofthe multiple locations of the property.
 3. The method of claim 2,comprising determining a location of the emergency at the property by:identifying the one or more of the plurality of speakerphones thatdetected the sound; identifying an installation location of each of theidentified one or more of the plurality of speakerphones that detectedthe sound; and determining a location of the emergency at the propertybased on the installation location of each of the identified one or moreof the plurality of speakerphones that detected the sound.
 4. The methodof claim 3, wherein determining the location of the emergency at theproperty based on the identified installation location of each of theone or more of the plurality of speakerphones that detected the soundcomprises: accessing data indicating an audio detection range of each ofthe identified one or more of the plurality of speakerphones thatdetected the sound; accessing data indicating a floorplan of theproperty; and based on (i) the installation location of the identifiedone or more of the plurality of speakerphones that detected the sound,(ii) the audio detection range of each of the identified one or more ofthe plurality of speakerphones that detected the sound, and (ii) thefloorplan of the property, determine a location of the emergency at theproperty.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein broadcasting the two-wayvoice call to the multiple locations of the property comprises:identifying the one or more of the plurality of speakerphones thatdetected the sound; and broadcasting the two-way voice call through eachof the identified one or more of the plurality of speakerphones thatdetected the sound.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein broadcasting thetwo-way voice call to the multiple locations of the property comprisesbroadcasting the two-way voice call through the plurality ofspeakerphones.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein each speakerphonecomprises an audio microphone and an audio speaker, the speakerphonebeing configured to communicate with a speakerphone hub device usingdigital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) signals.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein determining that the sound indicates anemergency at the property comprises: analyzing audio characteristics ofthe sound; and determining that the audio characteristics meet criteriafor indicating an emergency at the property.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein determining that the audio characteristics meet criteria forindicating an emergency at the property comprises determining that avolume of the sound is greater than a threshold volume.
 10. The methodof claim 8, wherein determining that the audio characteristics meetcriteria for indicating an emergency at the property comprises:comparing the audio characteristics of the sound to audiocharacteristics of stored sounds indicating an emergency at theproperty; and determining that the audio characteristics of the soundmatch audio characteristics of one or more of the stored soundsindicating an emergency at the property.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the stored sounds comprise one or more of words, phrases,non-word human utterances, breaking sounds, falling sounds, audiblealarms, or firearm sounds.
 12. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining that the sound indicates an emergency at the propertycomprises: receiving sensor data generated by one or more sensors at theproperty, the sensor data comprising one or more of camera image data,motion sensor data, glass break sensor data, or temperature sensor data;and determining that the emergency is occurring based on the detectedsound and the received sensor data.
 13. The method of claim 1, whereinsending, to a monitoring station, an indication of the emergencycomprises sending, to the monitoring station, data indicating at leastone of a type of emergency or a location of the emergency at theproperty.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the soundindicates an emergency at the property comprises: determining that thesound is indicative of falling; receiving motion sensor data generatedby a motion sensor data at the property, the motion sensor dataindicating no movement near the one or more of the multiple locations ofthe property where the sound was detected; based on (i) the soundindicative of falling and (ii) the motion sensor data, determining thatan occupant has fallen at the property; and based on determining that anoccupant of the property has fallen, determining that the soundindicates an emergency at the property.
 15. The method of claim 1,wherein determining that the sound indicates an emergency at theproperty comprises: determining that the sound is indicative of anobject breaking; receiving camera image data generated by a camera atthe property, the camera image data indicating an unfamiliar person atthe property; based on (i) the sound indicative of an object breakingand (ii) the camera image data, determining that a break-in is occurringat the property; and based on determining that a break-in is occurringat the property, determining that the sound indicates an emergency atthe property.
 16. A monitoring system for monitoring a property, themonitoring system comprising: a plurality of speakerphones, eachspeakerphone located at one of multiple locations of a property; and aspeakerphone hub device configured to perform operations comprising:receiving audio data generated by one or more of the plurality ofspeakerphones, the audio data representing a sound detected at theproperty; determining, based on analyzing the audio data, that the soundindicates an emergency at the property; sending, to a monitoringstation, an indication of the emergency; receiving, from the monitoringstation, a two-way voice call; and broadcasting the two-way voice callto the plurality of speakerphones.
 17. The monitoring system of claim16, wherein each of the plurality of speakerphones comprises an array ofmicrophones, the operations comprising: determining, based on audio datagenerated by each microphone of the array of microphones, adirectionality of the sound; and based on determining the directionalityof the sound, determining a location of the emergency at the property.18. The monitoring system of claim 16, wherein receiving the audio datagenerated by one or more of the plurality of speakerphones comprises:receiving first audio data at a first volume from a first speakerphoneat a first location of the property; and receiving second audio data ata second volume from a second speakerphone at second location of theproperty, the operations comprising: comparing a volume of the firstaudio data to a volume of the second audio data; and based on comparingthe volume of the first audio data to the volume of the second audiodata, determining a location of the emergency at the property.
 19. Themonitoring system of claim 16, wherein receiving audio data generated byone or more of the plurality of speakerphones comprises receiving, fromthe one or more of the plurality of speakerphones, the audio data via adigital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) signal.
 20. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprisinginstructions executable by one or more computers which, upon suchexecution, cause the one or more computers to perform operationscomprising: detecting a sound at one or more of multiple locations of aproperty; determining that the sound indicates an emergency at theproperty; sending, to a monitoring station, an indication of theemergency; receiving, from the monitoring station, a two-way voice call;and broadcasting the two-way voice call to the multiple locations of theproperty.